When it comes to optimizing WordPress speed optimization, many solutions involve using plugins. Plugins are a great solution for boosting your WordPress site performance, however, there are a few things that you can do without them. If you’re looking to speed up WooCommerce or any WordPress and improve the overall performance, starting with the right hosting provider is critical. If you’re using a high-performance hosting solution like WPX Hosting, you’re already ahead of the game.
Let’s dive into practical tactics to increase your WordPress website’s speed and ensure smooth WooCommerce page speed optimization without relying on plugins.
1. Choose High-Performance Hosting
The foundation of a fast website begins with a good hosting provider. WPX Hosting delivers lightning-fast performance with servers, optimized for WordPress, with built-in features like SSD storage, a custom CDN, and enterprise-level security—all of which ensure your site loads quickly and reliably.
Unlike other shared hosting providers, WPX Hosting is designed to handle WordPress sites with high traffic while maintaining consistent speed. A good hosting provider eliminates many of the bottlenecks that plugins aim to fix, such as slow server response times or limited resources.
1.1. Backup your website
Before making any changes to your site, it’s highly recommended to create a backup. Having a backup ensures you can easily restore your site to its previous state if anything goes wrong. WPX offers daily backups, retains them for 28 days, and also allows you to create on-demand backups. Additional methods for backing up your site are detailed in this article.
2. Optimize Images Before Uploading
Large, unoptimized images are one of the biggest culprits behind slow-loading websites. Compressing your images before uploading them can dramatically speed up your WordPress website.
How to Optimize Your Images:
- You can use tools like TinyPNG, Squoosh, or ImageOptim to compress images without losing quality.
- Resize images to match the dimensions required by your WordPress theme. For example, if your blog displays images at 1200×800 pixels, don’t upload 4000×3000-pixel images.
3. Enable Browser Caching
Browser caching stores static resources like CSS, JavaScript, and images on a visitor’s device so that subsequent visits load faster. While many use plugins for this, you can implement browser caching manually.
How to Set Up Caching Without Plugins:
In this step, you will need to access your .htaccess file. That file is located in the root directory of your WordPress website – in our case, wpxexample.net is the main domain in my WPX Professional plan, so its root directory is public_html. You can use File Manager or FTP Client to access the file.
- Access your .htaccess file (located in your WordPress root directory, in WPX this would be /public_html).
- Add the following code to enable browser caching (expired headers) :
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive on
ExpiresDefault “access plus 1 month”
# cache.appcache needs re-requests in FF 3.6
ExpiresByType text/cache-manifest “access plus 0 seconds”
# Your document html
ExpiresByType text/html “access plus 1 hour”
# Data
ExpiresByType text/xml “access plus 0 seconds”
ExpiresByType application/xml “access plus 0 seconds”
ExpiresByType application/json “access plus 0 seconds”
# Feed
ExpiresByType application/rss+xml “access plus 1 hour”
ExpiresByType application/atom+xml “access plus 1 hour”
# Favicon (cannot be renamed)
ExpiresByType image/x-icon “access plus 1 week”
# Media: images, video, audio
ExpiresByType image/gif “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType image/png “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType image/jpeg “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType image/webp “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType video/ogg “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType audio/ogg “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType video/mp4 “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType video/webm “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType image/avif “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType image/avif-sequence “access plus 4 months”
# HTC files (css3pie)
ExpiresByType text/x-component “access plus 1 month”
# Webfonts
ExpiresByType font/ttf “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType font/otf “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType font/woff “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType font/woff2 “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType image/svg+xml “access plus 4 months”
ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-fontobject “access plus 1 month”
# CSS and JavaScript
ExpiresByType text/css “access plus 1 year”
ExpiresByType application/javascript “access plus 1 year”
</IfModule>
3. You can also add the following lines to enable gzip compression:
GZIP compression
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-javascript
</IfModule>
Those lines are usually automatically added to the .htaccess file of your website by using a cache plugin. However, if you want to avoid using plugins, you can add them manually. This simple tweak can significantly improve load times for returning visitors.
4. Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
While plugins like Autoptimize can handle minification, it’s possible to do this manually. Minification reduces the size of your website’s files by removing unnecessary characters, spaces, and comments.
Tools for Manual Minification:
- Use CSS Minifier and JSCompress to minify your files.
- Upload the minified files via File Manager or FTP Client to replace the original ones.
Note: WPX Hosting’s fast servers can handle even non-minified files with ease, but every millisecond counts in optimization.
5. Utilize a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A CDN distributes your site’s static content (like images and CSS) across multiple servers worldwide, ensuring visitors load the content from a server closest to them. WPX Hosting includes a custom-built CDN, saving you from the hassle of setting up third-party CDNs.
Why WPX’s XDN Stands Out:
- It’s specifically optimized for WordPress sites.
- It’s included at no additional cost with your hosting plan.
- The setup is seamless, meaning you don’t need any technical expertise.
6. Limit External Scripts and Fonts
External scripts, such as Google Fonts or third-party ad trackers, can significantly impact your site’s loading time. While you may not be able to eliminate them all, you can minimize their effect.
Tips:
- Use system fonts instead of loading multiple Google Fonts.
- Combine and host custom fonts locally to reduce HTTP requests.
- Only load essential scripts by reviewing your theme’s functions.php file.
If you’re using any kind of block theme, WordPress core started to host fonts locally (for those kinds of themes).
7. Optimize Your Database
Over time, your WordPress database accumulates unnecessary data like post revisions, trashed posts, and spam comments. Optimizing your database regularly can reduce its size and speed up queries.
Manual Database Optimization Steps:
- Use phpMyAdmin to remove unnecessary data manually.
- If you haven’t done a backup yet, make sure to create one, or export the database.
- Then select your database and click on the SQL tab on the right. You will see a field to type in your SQL query.
- Run SQL queries like:
DELETE FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type = ‘revision’;
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_posts, wp_comments, wp_options;
DELETE FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_key = ‘_edit_lock’;
DELETE FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_approved = ‘spam’;
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE (‘%transient%’)
8. Reduce HTTP Requests
Whenever a browser loads your site, it sends HTTP requests for every element (images, CSS files, JavaScript, etc.). Fewer requests mean faster load times.
How to Reduce HTTP Requests:
- Combine CSS and JavaScript files where possible.
- Use inline CSS for small snippets.
- Use browser developer tools to identify and remove unused resources.
9. Leverage Lazy Loading for Images and Videos
Lazy loading ensures that images and videos only load when they are about to enter the viewport, reducing initial page load time. Modern WordPress versions have built-in lazy loading capabilities, so you may not need to add custom code. However, if necessary, you can enable it manually:
Add This Code to Your Theme (manually from the Theme Editor).
<img loading=”lazy” src=”your-image.jpg” alt=”description”>
11. Use the Latest PHP Version
PHP is the scripting language that powers WordPress, and each new version comes with performance improvements, security fixes, and efficiency enhancements. Running your site on the latest PHP version can significantly reduce load times and server resource usage.
Why This Matters:
- Newer PHP versions (e.g., PHP 8.x) execute code faster than older ones like PHP 7.x or PHP 5.x. (WPX supports the latest PHP version).
- They are more secure and compatible with modern WordPress themes and plugins.
How to Check and Update PHP:
- Log into your hosting control panel (WPX Hosting makes this process seamless).
- Navigate to your website and select Settings.
- Then click on the PHP tab and select the latest one. Click on the Save Changes button.
- Test your site for compatibility using WP Debugging tools before upgrading.
WPX Hosting ensures you can easily switch to the latest PHP version without technical difficulties, providing an added edge for speed optimization. Here is a step-by-step guide on the topic.
Final Thoughts:
No amount of optimization can make up for slow, unreliable hosting. WPX Hosting provides a solid base for all your speed optimization efforts, reducing the need for many plugins and third-party tools. With features like free CDN, SSD storage, and WordPress-specific optimizations, WPX Hosting ensures your site remains fast, secure, and scalable.
By combining these manual techniques with the premium infrastructure offered by WPX Hosting, you’ll have a WordPress site that delivers exceptional performance without relying on plugins. All the steps outlined in this article can significantly improve your WordPress site’s speed. However, these speed optimizations can often be simplified by using dedicated optimization plugins. Just keep in mind that you should only use plugins from reputable developers since plugins are a prime target for cyberattacks.
You can skip the hassle entirely and let the WPX Optimization team handle everything for you, ensuring your site runs at peak performance with minimal effort on your part.